‘Slander,’ Facebook, videos, memes: Local election takes an ugly turn

With purported slander, vicious videos and unflattering online memes, the local elections seem to be taking an ugly turn.

Christina Witt said so at the Ridgecrest City Council meeting Wednesday.

“I wanted to know when the presidential election campaign tactics decided to come to Ridgecrest,” Witt said. “This is the worst I have seen it.”

Witt essentially said she has been the victim of slander, of untrue allegations about her friendship with Vice Mayor Lori Acton as well as untrue accusations she made political posts on government equipment while at work. She implied these allegations were the result of her public political stands on the election.

Witt said she was surprised to hear rumors that she and Acton are lovers, which she said was news to her.

Witt said she and Acton actually bonded over the shared experience of being survivors of domestic violence.

“Lori was a domestic violence victim. I am a domestic violence victim . . . unless you go through it, you don't know what it's like to sit in trial and face your attacker and sit there and hope to God he's not released. Because you know he's going to be pissed and there's a good chance he'll come after you again.

“You don't know the trauma you have to deal with when your body physically heals. And the mental and emotional scars that take longer to heal. I was her support. I understood. I helped her get through those nightmares that most people would not understand, because I have been there.”

Witt also said she was the victim of untrue accusations of misusing government property to post on Facebook. She said she was contacted by her supervisor at work because of her Facebook use, but when she explained she was posting during her breaks her supervisor said she was not doing anything wrong. She said her supervisor was unable to name her accuser.

Witt later clarified to the Daily Independent that she made Facebook posts from her phone on breaks and did not use government equipment to do so.

She pointed out during the meeting that government employees are aware their computer use is monitored. “I am also [employed in] cyber-security. How stupid do you think I am? What I do on my breaks is not my company's business.”

Witt later told the Daily Independent she has no hard proof the accusations are related to her political stance, but that the timing and circumstances made her very suspicious. She later added that the complaint was specifically of her posting to the Indian Wells Valley Discussion Forum. Witt has been an outspoken presence on the Facebook page, particularly in criticizing Abernathy-backed candidates. The Indian Wells Valley Discussion Forum was previously an open group and was recently closed, meaning members have to be added by request.

Witt later expounded on the issue in a letter to the editor (which will be published in its entirety in the DI’s Saturday edition). In it Witt implies who she thinks is behind the accusations to her employer.

“The complaints [to her employer] weren’t about me posting to my son’s Battalion’s Facebook Page while he is in radio silence. It wasn’t about the silly motorcycle meme posted to my Facebook page. No, it was specific to my posts regarding Wallace and Matthew Martin and their unethical conduct.”

“I should not be silenced because I do not like the tactics that are being presented,” she said during the meeting.

Witt said she is an outspoken person and has frequently disagreed with council members, but that the disagreements have always remained civil and respectful on both sides.

Social media is also playing a role in the increasingly contentious local election.

Witt alluded to a video criticizing Mayoral candidate and incumbent Peggy Breeden and council candidate Acton that was recently pulled from Facebook, but was still viewable Thursday on YouTube under the title “Ridgecrest Mayor and Vice Mayor, Don't We Deserve Better?”

The video opens with quotes from former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani [mispelled “Guilani”], former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett then segues into cryptic quotes from Breeden and Acton against a Loony Tunes-style circular background with matching loony music. It ends dramatically with “WAKE UP RIDGECREST!! WE DESERVE BETTER!!”

The quotes are given with no context. Breeden's comment was from discussion of Ridgecrest's strategic goal plan in a recent council meeting in which she said she was not aware of the plan. Acton's quote was from the KZGN candidate forum, in which she was saying the council has not done a good job in communicating with the public.

The video made a brief appearance on a Facebook page called We Deserve Better, before being removed. It was still available for viewing on YouTube as of Thursday afternoon. The Facebook video included what appeared to be a still-shot of Daily Independent reporter Jessica Weston's photograph of an apparently anguished Breeden touching her forehead immediately before voting for the casino land sale. This photograph is not included in the YouTube version of the video.

Residents have also reported hearing radio ads that repeat what was said on the YouTube video, paid for by a group called “Central California Republicans.”

Council candidate Lindsey Stephens was also the victim of an unflattering video on Facebook, she told the Daily Independent Wednesday. She said the video was “pretty mean” and contained photos taken from her private Facebook account and used without permission. She said it was removed by Facebook at her request.

An unflattering meme of Mayoral candidate James Sanders and council candidate Wallace Martin has also been making the rounds. It depicts the two in matching NASCAR style jumpsuits, with patches indicating they are sponsored by “Rain for Rent,” a reference to Bakersfield donor Diane Lake, who contributed $5,000 to each of their campaigns.

Other election watchers agree this year's election is particularly nasty. A longtime city staff member told the Daily Independent that in past years the worst election issues included people stealing each other's campaign signs.

Breeden and Mayor Pro Tem James Sanders also spoke up on the issue at council's meeting Wednesday.

Breeden said she is concerned over what is going on in the community, with people opposing each other. She noted that Congressman Kevin McCarthy, in his speech earlier this week, said it is happening all over the US.

“But my concern is mostly us,” Breeden said. “Whatever happens and is said during this election time, I think we have to remember that at midnight Nov. 9 we are all going to have to work together no matter what happens in the elections.”

Breeden expressed frustration over the pervasive elements that have shown up this election season.

“As I posted somewhere, I am sick and tired of the negatives, the half-truths, the lies, the innuendo,” Breeden said. “I think we all need to remember we are one community. Let's try to remember that we all have to live and work together.”

Sanders first spoke up after Witt spoke during public comment. He made a point to say he had nothing to do with the accusations made against her.

He spoke up again after Breeden brought up the topic.

“I wholeheartedly agree with you,” he said to Breeden. “This election has gotten extremely nasty, on many levels. And it really saddens me.

“The saddest thing is, a huge part of it, at least the dirt that's coming my way is not coming from the other candidates, it’s not coming from my opponent. We have kept things very civil. It just really saddens me, because this community — that's not who we are.”